April ‘25
Psalm 10:2-9 (NIV)
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”
7 His mouth is full of lies and threats;
trouble and evil are under his tongue.
8 He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.
While we live through challenging times, we know that turning towards scripture often will offer guidance and hope. The scripture listed above can be misleading because we can jump to conclusions based on current events, I do need to offer a warning that we do not over think the scriptural context. While our scriptures are ancient, they can offer us insights into how God speaks and warns us of dangers. These dangers can be both real or imagined, but I can offer you this advice to read the whole scripture, the context in which it was written, and how the scripture can open our hearts and minds to potential danger.
I bring this warning this month as a recommendation so that we do not weaponize the scripture to state our own thoughts and feelings. Scripture is intended to expand our knowledge so that we can deal with life’s situations in a rational manner. Scripture cannot be used to just choose certain verses to make our arguments, which has become the basis of many arguments being put forth in all arenas of society. I will remind you that if you are unsure of how we should be living and acting today that we should focus upon the teachings of Jesus, especially his deeds, words, and actions. Jesus is our guide, and teacher from whom we can learn something every day. Blessings to all during these tumultuous days.
Pastor David